Friends with Benefits
by Vicky-V
Summary: Fifty non-related sentences about what happens when friendships stretch further but don't break. If anything, it grows stronger. AnzuxHondaxJounouchixYugi, romantic and platonic. One shot.


**Pairing:** AnzuxHondaxJounouchixYugi. Most can be read as platonic or romantic.

**Rating:** G - PG-13

**Warning:** Bisexual foursome, some sexual situations (#28), character death (#24), lots of run-on sentences. Spoilers for Duelist Kingdom (#29)

**Notes:** For the dogeatsentence challenge at Live Journal, where the basic idea is to write 50 themed sentences for a group of 3 characters, minimum.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing in connection with YuGiOh, nor do I make any money writing this fanfiction.

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**Friends With Benefits**

**1. serenade**

There was a careful selection in what Anzu chose to sing during karaoke night and if it was only the four of them who understood the significance of the words she sang then that was all the better.

**2. dreams and nightmares**

Sometimes there was the fear that one of them might leave, but when the curtains were drawn at the end of the day they would each count three bodies and fall into a pleasant sleep.

**3. time**

Time didn't so much heal wounds as it did help them become better at dealing with it, or so they found when they looked at the puzzle which Yugi had kept and realised how important that man had been in their lives.

**4. you, me and the car crash**

Anzu's dream of dancing had come to a violent halt because of working overtime, a speeding driver and very bad luck, and if she hadn't had them around her she wondered if she would've even been able to smile again afterwards.

**5. restlessness**

They had to find a comfortable position to sleep in as quickly as possible or risk an uncomfortable night because it wasn't easy to shift themselves whenever Jounouchi managed to stretch his limbs over them, no matter where he may sleep amongst them.

**6. things you need to know**

If asked how it had slotted together in the first place, neither of them would be able to answer right away because, really, all they could actually recall was that somehow the feeling had grown from somewhere and they had all known.

**7. golden**

They all still carried that immature edge with them sometimes when they were together as a group - such as when Anzu's cookies came out of the oven with dents in them which were supposed to resemble their faces from where Jounouchi had prodded them before he was shooed away.

**8. wilderness**

Spring filled everything with energy; trees became full of blossom, birds flitted through the air and they were much more willing to stay outside where somewhere along the line a competition had risen to see who would have the least pink petals plucked out of their hair when they had to head home.

**9. masquerade**

A party which was designed to hide identities was rendered rather useless in that respect seeing as they all had distinctive hairstyles, especially Yugi - but at least that meant they could be confident that straying hands wouldn't accidentally brush the wrong person.

**10. space**

A significant portion of Anzu's wages, (the part which didn't go into her New York fund), was spent on photograph albums seeing as she had taken to carrying around a camera to capture those moments she loved so much.

**11. a careful deception**

Honda would start to sweat heavily, which showed down the front of his shirt, no matter what shade he wore, Jounouchi couldn't help but grin, but so far Anzu hadn't figured out Yugi's tell-tale signals when they played poker and she was glad about the challenge that brought.

**12. genius**

Kaiba was a man who prided himself on his intelligence, but even he shook his head with frustration and gave up trying to figure out what exactly it was with those four.

**13. oracle**

Otogi would roll a pair of dice when bored and if they both landed to show two dots he pushed them together, with his thoughts on those people he knew, and somehow it just felt right.

**14. the snows of winter**

Somehow Anzu and Yugi hadn't noticed Jounouchi and Honda losing their balance on their snowboards and rolled down the hill, picking up more and more snow as they went - not until they suddenly found themselves caught up in that human snowball, but when they finally stopped the groans of pain somehow turned into laughter.

**15. strays**

One night Honda had brought home two little kittens he found and it didn't take long at all for them to decide on names; Miho and Pharaoh.

**16. long-distance**

They were all proud that they had continued to keep up the regular contact ever since Anzu had boarded the train to begin her journey to America with letters, postcards, parcels, emails and telephone calls when they could afford it because they were all dedicated enough to keep the bond between them strong so it was all the better when she came back to visit.

**17. definite borders**

Sometimes Anzu wondered if they forgot she was a girl, but then things would happen which reassured her that Honda, Jounouchi and Yugi were still aware of the unspoken borders - for example, she was allowed to playfully yank down their swimming trunks whereas they guessed they'd probably be in for a lot of trouble if they ever tried it on her, (although, depending on circumstance, Anzu wasn't sure if she'd mind too much).

**18. blood**

There was blood running down Jounouchi's chin and from his nose but he said he didn't regret anything about punching the bastard who had dared shout something lewd while Anzu was singing karaoke and Honda and Yugi felt some regret that they'd had to pull him away so quickly.

**19. sparks**

Jounouchi's confident claims of being able to install the sound system had ended with them spending the evening without any electricity, but they had all been more than happy to sit surrounded by lit candles and talk until the early hours.

**20. hearsay**

Miho began to wonder when she heard about a supposedly scandalous group relationship in Domino, Japan, so she packed up her suitcase, determined to see for herself and hoped she would end up standing before the people her heart still tugged towards.

**21. runaways**

Sometimes they would watch the huge ships going in and out of the harbour and joke about how they should go on a cruise or something one day - and all four of them would be thinking about how they could make that happen for real.

**22. apology**

Sometimes it was hard to swallow their pride, especially if tempers had flared particularly high, but the relief was always within how easily the others accepted the apology.

**23. chains**

The mark Anzu had drawn upon their hands faded long ago, but they all still felt it there as the chain which bound them together.

**24. ashes**

They, along with his family, scattered the ashes of a person they loved much sooner than any of them would have wanted and as they did they saluted the brave work Honda had done for them and his country.

**25. the prince**

Anzu knew she was the one who depended upon the others a lot within life or death situations, but when they found themselves running out of hope or losing their reason then that was when she was the hero.

**26. decoder ring**

They were cheap tacky plastic rings, gained by munching through several packets of sugar-pumped cereals, but they gained the set of four which, when put together, formed a smiling face.

**27. revenge**

It was hazy but Yugi could remember the echoes of promised revenge upon those who harmed his friends when the spirit of the puzzle possessed him, and he knew that ultimately he would do the same thing should it ever be needed.

**28. the guiding hand**

Nerves had started to become chased away when Anzu took them by the wrist and guided their hands to where they wanted to take them.

**29. sensitivity**

They all felt the squeeze of anticipation in their chest as a card was drawn, the euphoria when it was something useful and all had nearly been knocked to their knees when they felt the pain and disturbed confusion Yugi did when he nearly sent Kaiba plummeting off the edge of Pegasus' castle.

**30. chinese whispers**

Ryou heard the whispers and his response was to smile and say, "of course, it's them after all."

**31. fading twilight**

They sometimes stayed up all night, swapping stories and sharing dreams, most of which they had all heard before but were more than happy to listen to again; always with the curtain open when the moon was full and large.

**32. show and tell**

Although Anzu had an interest in Duel Monsters, sometimes she would feel left behind by them, and then she would see them in the front row at her dance recitals and she knew it was all in her head.

**33. whoops!**

Jounouchi went down first, grabbing onto Honda as he did, who stumbled into Yugi and finally Anzu would end up tripping, which ended up with them as a pile of tangled limbs and padded coats on the ground - such was the danger of a frosty winter morning.

**34. phoenix**

It started with Anzu picking up a feather from the ground and then, as the weeks passed, they all began bringing them home when they found a rather pretty one in good condition - the feathers were eventually crafted into the shape of a bird, painted by all of them in bright colours and took pride of place on top of the bookcase.

**35. human remedy**

When Anzu had caught a cold they barely left her side, bringing her tea, medicine, tissues, orange juice and watching whatever she wanted on television with her, then within a week it was her turn to return the favour as Honda, Jounouchi and Yugi suddenly found themselves taken down with so-called man-flu.

**36. the first**

They waved goodbye to Miho until the packed-up car was no longer within sight and even then they didn't move but stood there clutching each other, whether it was a hand or a coat tail.

**37. abroad**

Yugi, Honda and Jounouchi had arrived to spend a holiday with Anzu in New York during the evening, went to the skating rink in Central Park the next morning, then they were in hospital for most of the afternoon after Jounouchi fell, managing to take them all down with him, and sprained his ankle.

**38. ring**

They formed a tight ring together as Anzu drew a quick smiling face upon their hands and at that moment it was their greatest treasure.

**39. the ends of the earth**

Never once did Yugi think he was alone, even when he physically was, because sooner or later he knew he would see them coming or, if that wasn't possible, he knew they were there in spirit, cheering him on.

**40. belief unwavering**

Yami saw them all there - Jounouchi and Honda stood firmly and Anzu was close beside them with Yugi held tightly in her arms and at that moment there was no doubt within Yami's mind that the battle for his grandfather's soul was already won.

**41. hatred**

None of them ever thought they would be capable of feeling such intense hatred before one night, out of the blue, Anzu had turned up at Yugi's place with bruises all over her face and, within ten minutes, the four of them had gathered and felt a ferocious need to bring great harm to the man who had dared lied about loving her.

**42. fragile**

Even years later they would still catch a glimpse of the haunted look within Ryou's eyes before he caught himself and regained his composure and it made them gather even closer together, seeking the comfort they would need once they had calmed him.

**43. lonely**

As men, it was their duty to give the tent to Anzu and stay outside to keep watch, but even with a thick sleeping bag the inside of the canvas would become cold and seem far too big, so she ended up telling them to just get inside with her already.

**44. sunshine**

Sometimes Yugi felt as though the world was passing by him in a shade of grey, but that was fine because they were always the colours within his life.

**45. foolish**

Yugi had run for the bus and felt his heart sink as it pulled away without him, surely with those important people on board, but then he heard the shouts behind him and turned to see that they had all managed to miss that ride to school, so they walked whilst laughing off their embarrassment.

**46. dancing**

Any attempts to teach them how to dance somehow ended up with the four of them in a pile on the floor.

**47. star counting**

The lights shone brightly upon the stage, practically dazzling her, but through the dots flashing in her vision she could still see Honda, Yugi and Jounouchi sitting in the front row.

**48. sand dune**

Yugi had dreams where he walked past huge sand dunes which rolled by and then, when he saw them, his weariness would vanish and he'd run towards them; not stopping until he was back by their sides.

**49. bones**

Jounouchi still managed to get himself into fights every now and again and that had ended up with him getting a broken leg - when he came back from the hospital with a cast they had all written on it and, years afterwards, he still kept it and made sure it didn't get dirty and broken.

**50. a curious incident**

Classmates would ask who had given them their three little boxes of Valentines chocolates but the only answer they got was being told that it was a secret.

_**END**_


End file.
